Oct 10, 2010

Wandering around Amsterdam, we were looking simply for a great place to enjoy good beer. In a narrow street (as many around this city), we found a spot just signed as "La Chouffe". Later I find that in fact that's the name of a great Belgium beer and the "real" name of the place is: Café Belgique (thanks Jere!)

Regardless, there are many, really, many different pubs around Amsterdam. And most of them serve a great selection of beers from all over the world. This one is special because it's tiny (fits about 10 people maximum), have a great intimate old decor and a live DJ.

My favorite beer is the fruity lambic. Girls tend to like these beer: fruity, sweeter, no bitter taste, lighter. From the little I know, lambic beer is made from spontaneous fermentation, that results in a dry, sour aftertaste. (According to my friend wiki: "Lambic is made with the addition of raspberry, framboise, peach(pêche), blackcurrant (cassis), grape, strawberry, as either whole fruit or syrup. Other, rarer fruit lambic flavorings include apple (pomme), banana, pineapple, apricot, plum, lemon and blueberry. Fruit lambics are usually bottled with secondary fermentation.")

On the same note, these Belgium and Dutch beer are also served around the world. For instance, in San Francisco, there is an amazing hidden spot on North Beach: La Trappe Cafe.

When you are coming in, you have no idea what to expect. The entrance is at street level and most of times, there is nobody there dining nor drinking. That's because the big deal is downstairs, where the real pub is located.

There, with pub-tavern decoration, you will find the largest selection of beer (the menu is actually a large book to accomodate and describe the very wide selection) I have found around San Francisco. They also have delicious Belgium fries and burgers to pair well.

2 comments:

Café Belgique might well be one of my favorite spots in the whole-wide-world! You'd think that in such a small cool pub that serves up some of the finest microbrews Belgium has to offer, the people might be less than welcoming (especially to tourists). But that wasn't our experience at all. The bartender was super friendly and shared her modest bar space with 2 DJ's spinning a mix of heavy-duty reggae and dub (the perfect accompaniment to such fine libations). Can't wait to go back! Viva Café Belgique! Viva La Chouffe!!!